Students Travel to Costa Rica

Twelve students traveled to Costa Rica for two weeks to learn more about sustainability
and conservation from a country considered to be a model for the practices.

Landowner and farmer Roberto Jiminez shows Cal U students Hannah Derry and Taylor
Krucher the queen leaf cutter ant that he unearthed while working on his sustainable
coffee farm (photo by Carol Bocetti).

The Topics in Field Biology: Sustainable Agriculture and Conservation course was taught
by Drs. Carol Bocetti and Sarah Meiss, from the Department of Biological and Environmental
Sciences.

Costa Rica is committed to sustainability — the practice of using resources today
in a manner that ensures future generations will have access to those resources.

“We take students to that country because it provides a model for sustainable living,”
Bocetti said of the trip, which is scheduled every other year.

“We chose agriculture and conservation, because that is one example of integrated
sustainability. Costa Rica has decided that this intersection is their future. Ecotourism
is a big deal to them, and if they would no longer have a rain forest to share with
the world, that’s a problem.”

The class visited four different ecosystems — a dry forest, cloud forest and high
and low rain forests. They also talked with those who are engaged in sustainable farming
practices.

“I wanted to see what it was like in another country and how they were able to decrease
their carbon footprint,” said Julianna Leiendecker, a fisheries and wildlife biology
major.

“Some of the trip is about appreciating the incredible diversity,” Meiss said. “Students
get a chance to see what we talk about in class, like sloths and red-eyed tree frogs.
It’s an immersive experience. We are literally in the jungle; we wake up to howler
monkeys.”

Students also get lessons in economics.

“You vote with every dollar you spend,” Meiss said. “You can be an informed consumer
and ask questions about how items are produced. From the producer’s side, you have
to be able to make a living to stay in business. It’s not a sustainable practice if
it’s good for the environment but bad for business.”

“Our students also consider the realities and challenges of applying the Costa Rican
model to the United States,” Bocetti said.

To complete the class, students must write a paper about a concept they found interesting
or intriguing on the trip.

“One student did a paper on green composting, taking a look at whether we could do
this on a bigger scale in the United States,” Bocetti said.